With a smaller pear crop in California this year, strong demand has meant brisk movement.“Volume has been down in general,” said Chris Zanobini, executive director of the California Pear Advisory Board. “This year's crop is smaller than last year's by about 15 percent.” Though prices have been higher with less fruit, the market has been steady.
“Pricing has been very consistent this year, and that adds a certain level of security with retail trade because you know what the market's going to be” said Zanobini. That's made for good sales this year, with little fruit left in storage.
“At this point, we've shipped 95 percent of the crop,” said Zanobini. “We have 148,000 boxes of inventory in storage, and at this point last year we had double that amount. So sales have definitely been faster than in normal years.” That, combined with strong prices, has resulted in a good year.
“A smaller pear crop and less top fruit overall has made for a strong market,” said Zanobini. “All of those factors, along with a crop with good sizing and quality, have made for a good year.”